THE InSIde ThIS ISSue The healing nature of Relationship ...

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The Art and Science

of CaringBalancing science and caring

for patient well-being

S p e c i a l f e a t u r e

S c h o o l o f N u r S i N g | o a k l a N d u N i v e r S i t y | r o c h e S t e r , M i c h i g a N

I n S I d e T h I S I S S u eThe healing nature of Relationship-Based Care

A Motivating Mindset for Patient Problem Solvinghelping hIV Mothers Cope through hope

Riverview Partnership Breaks down Barriers

Balancing science and caring for patient well-being

It is often said that nursing is a delicate balance between science and art. Over the past two decades, the emphasis on the technological aspects of the profession has tipped the scales in favor of science. It’s time to balance the scale – for our patients and for our nurses.

There is no doubt that the advent of new technologies has made surgeries less invasive, improved accuracy of diagnosis and streamlined charting, somewhat easing the paperwork burden in addition to improving the quality of care, but the task of incorporating technology into nursing practice has not been without sacrifice. Many experienced nurses did not grow up in the computer age and had to learn a completely new “language.” Even those who have lived immersed in the digital age have to constantly focus on learning the latest and most updated systems. The heavy emphasis on electronics meant that hospital in-services and collegiate curricula centered on technology.

With the prominence and prestige of the latest and greatest equipment, the focus on relational elements in providing patient care seemed to lag. Couple that with a nursing

shortage and skyrocketing patient-to-nurse ratios and many patients felt anonymous and dissatisfied with the level of care they received, and nurses were missing out

on why they were called to the profession in the first place.

There is a “back to the basics” movement on the horizon. Caring Theory and Relationship-Based Care models are emerging in health care settings around the country and bringing with them, studies are finding, happier and healthier patients and more satisfied health care professionals. Through the use of interactive relationships between nurses, their patients and families, everyone involved is developing a sense of empowerment.

This issue of The Pulse illuminates how Oakland University’s School of

Nursing is exploring the science of caring and sharing our findings within the field. In addition to articles about the effects of relationship-based

care at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, this issue features faculty and students who are passionate about the relationship aspect of their industry. It also highlights the cutting-edge research conducted by our faculty and updates on our relationships with community members in Detroit through the Riverview Institute of Oakland University.

It is an exciting time in the School of Nursing, as changes are being made to create a curriculum that provides our students with the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in the future health care environment.

Linda Thompson Adams Dean, OU School of Nursing

Special Section: the Science of caring

4 The science of caring ... Crittenton Hospital Medical Center and Oakland University’s School of Nursing are piloting relationship-based care (RBC) with student nurses, practicing nurses and instructors

8 Crittenton chief nursing officer expands RBC reach Crittenton Hospital Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Van Wagoner advocates relationship-based care (RBC) and the Oakland University/Crittenton partnership designed to expand its possibilities and potential

10 Measuring how we care Claudia Grobbel, special instructor at Oakland University’s School of Nursing, not only considers caring a science; she believes it should be measured, analyzed and formally integrated into nursing curriculum

12 Motivating mindset When it comes to advocating healthy behaviors and decision- making for patients, nurses look to the patients for answers: a look at Motivational Interviewing

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16 HIV mothers: they cope through hope Study analyzes strategies that help HIV mothers cope as well as develop better attitudes toward life and more positive behavior than before their diagnosis

20 Looking for an ounce of prevention Pioneering community service project takes nursing students out of the classroom and into OB/GYN offices throughout metro Detroit

22 Riverview Institute partnership helps meet growing demand for professionals The Riverview Institute of Oakland University will help meet the growing demand for health care professionals in the state and nation

26 Caring for the community Cynthia Taueg, vice president of Community Health for St. John Health System, has focused on public and community health since earning her nursing degree in 1971

28 Advancing gerontological nursing OU grad brings new ideas to the field

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31 News briefs

36 Highlights and accomplishments

Oakland University Celebrates Nursing!Often described as an art and a science, nursing embraces dedicated people with varied interests, strengths and passions because of the many opportunities the profession offers. From emergency rooms, to school-based clinics, to residential care facilities, nurses have many roles. They are staff nurses, educators, nurse practitioners and nurse researchers – and they serve all of these roles with integrity and compassion.

National Nurses Day is May 6 and kicks off Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale is hailed professionally as the founder of

modern nursing. The International Council on Nursing also recognizes May 12 as International Nurses Day. In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Nightingale’s death (August 13, 1910), 2010 has been named the Year of

the Nurse.

The 2010 National Nurses Week theme is Nurses: Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow.

Please join us in saying thank you to nurses around the world, who serve with passion for the profession and with a strong commitment to patient care.

National Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2010

t he United States needs nurses. An estimated 125,000 nursing positions are open nationwide. That number is projected to rise to one million in the next decade. OU’s School of Nursing is taking steps to address this need, and you can help. In

partnership with local health care organizations, we actively recruit faculty and students for our programs. Applications and admissions have risen by 40 percent, but much more can be done to ease the current and future nursing shortage. The development of scholarships and distinctive campus, online and satellite programs will serve as an important catalyst for future growth. This also will provide important incentives in attracting, retaining and graduating students into the ranks of professional nursing.

Please consider a gift to the School of Nursing. For more information about gift opportunities to the School of Nursing, please contact Colette O’Connor at (248) 370-4070 or [email protected].

Consider a gift that gives back

e x e c u t i v e S t a f f

Linda Thompson Adams, dean

Sherry Abernathy, assistant dean

Pam Marin, assistant dean

Diane M. Norris, associate dean

Colette O’Connor, director of development

Thomas Schumann, executive director, Center for Nursing Education

e D i t o r i a l S t a f f

Susan Thwing-McHale, editor

Frank Fisher, art director

Amy Johnson, project manager

Rick Smith, photographer

W r i t e r S

Mary Gunderson-Switzer

Karen Hildebrandt

Liz Lent

Amy Lynn Smith

Rene Wisely

The Pulse Magazine is published one to two times per year. It is distributed free of charge

to Oakland University’s School of Nursing alumni, staff and friends, and select school of

nursing deans nationwide.

Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

ISSN 1946-7257 Issue No. 4.

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Phone (248) 370-3184 Fax (248) 370-3182

Letters to the editor and other correspondence about this and future

issues should be mailed to:

The Pulse MagazineSchool of Nursing

Amy Johnson 415 O’Dowd Hall

Oakland University 2200 North Squirrel RoadRochester, MI 48309-4401

or e-mailed to [email protected]. Include your name, address and a phone number or e-mail address.

S p o n S o r S h i p i n f o r m at i o n For sponsorship information and

opportunities in future issues of The Pulse Magazine, please contact Colette O’Connor at

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Oakland University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution.

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i t seems appropriate that a program based on mutual understanding and care has developed between two institutions with a long history of working together:

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) and Oakland University’s School of Nursing (SON). Through the generosity of Crittenton, the two organizations have made a pilot program exploring relationship-based care (RBC) a priority for student nurses. CHMC is in the process of transforming its entire organizational culture to practice under the RBC model. OU nursing student cohorts at Crittenton now will be immersed in this philosophy.

Nursing historically has focused on therapeutic relationships with patients and their families as a core value, but that aspect of care is increasingly difficult to maintain in the modern-day hospital system. Instead, the technical aspects of patient care often seem to be pushed as the dominant concern in an industry concerned with the projected and real nursing shortage. Nurses are pressured to be more task-oriented as technological advances continue.

However, relationship-based care is helping nursing return to its core values. Seemingly simple in design, relationship-based care offers a deeper and more intensive approach to caring for patients as well as working as a team with fellow hospital staff. The approach builds on three relationships the nurse has: the one with the patient and family, the one with colleagues, and the one with self.

“It’s about relationships and focusing on really making connections with patients,” says Carrie Abele, Oakland University SON assistant professor of nursing. “It’s about focusing on the person, and the people you are working with, not just the task.”

Crittenton Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Van Wagoner adds that all actions need intention and purpose “Nurses need to

stop and ask themselves, why am I doing this and how does it affect the patient?”

This way of thinking permeates the nursing cohorts. In addition to providing intensive clinical education, Crittenton assigns each student nurse a staff mentor. These experienced nurses answer questions and provide student nurses with emotional support during stressful situations they may encounter during their clinical education.

“It’s nurse-to-nurse, nurse-to-patient,” Abele says. “The connection is one-on-one with a new intensity. Within the school, it’s faculty-to-faculty and faculty-to-student.”

This is not simply an attitude, though. It’s a serious method of improving learning and care.

“It is more than just being nice,” Abele says. “It’s about intentionally listening to someone. It’s more of a team approach to quality care where the patient is a part of the team. The nurse no longer takes the attitude that ‘I’m the expert, you’re the patient’, and instead they offer ‘here are the options, here are the statistics, let’s decide together how to proceed,’ “ she says.

The program began more than two years ago when Crittenton Hospital, which has a long history of support for Oakland University, began making an organization-wide change to the RBC model. The hospital “wanted to develop a relationship with an educational institution,” says Colette O’Connor, director of development for the OU School of Nursing. At the same time, Oakland sought to expand its student enrollment and find a community partner that could guarantee clinical placements. A partnership was born when Crittenton Hospital Medical Center’s Foundation funded an endowed chair for the program, allowing the School of Nursing to increase its enrollment by 24 students.

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The science of caring...And the healing nature of relationship-based care

By Liz Lent

(continued)

Today, two cohorts of approximately 24 School of Nursing students each do their clinical rotations at Crittenton with the intention that they may have jobs there upon graduation. It’s a perfect way to train and inculcate future nurses into a successful, hospital culture. As part of RBC and their experience at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, the cohort students attended Reigniting the Spirit of Caring, an off-site, three-day experience of self-reflection that is critical to understanding relationship-based care.

Beyond theory, relationship-based care gets results. “Patient outcomes and patient satisfaction are up,” Abele says. “(Crittenton) employees and staff are happy. Job satisfaction is up. Turnover is way down.”

As part of the program, Oakland will be helping Crittenton collect quantifiable data on the RBC approach, perhaps in the long run influencing other hospitals and teaching institutions to follow a similar tactic. “We want to publish the data, so that others can learn from our experiences. We are also working with Crittenton nurses on writing manuscripts to share their stories about their experience with RBC,” Abele says.

The Crittenton gift includes the establishment of an endowed professorship at the School of Nursing. A search is underway for the appropriate candidate to fill the endowed chair position.

“We’re looking for someone with a specific research agenda,” O’Connor says. In the interim, the SON has brought in “a number of nationally and internationally known experts in relationship- based care,” she adds (see related article, “Experts Provide Basis for Science of Caring”). An eight-person advisory council with four staff from Crittenton and four staff from Oakland help guide the program and the development of its curriculum.

For everyone involved, the experience has changed lives and changed perspectives. For patients, it puts their needs and concerns at the fore. For nurses, it expands the team approach, allowing them to rely on one another as they provide individualized care to their patients. For Crittenton staff and the cohort students, it’s a new and promising method of improving the learning experience and improving care skills.

“We have not been as focused on relationship-based care (before this endowment),” says O’Connor. “But this has enabled us to really branch out. It incorporates the patient as a central part of the process and makes our students very aware of their impact on patient health and well-being. With this program, students really, truly understand what it takes to heal.” n

Liz Lent is a freelance writer based in Royal Oak, Mich.


As part of the program, SON will be helping Crittenton collect quantifiable data on the RBC approach.

Although patients are at the core of the relationship-based care (RBC) program, the method also has a profound effect on the nursing students who are putting it into practice. For Christine Wolf, completing her last year of training as an Oakland University School of Nursing student, RBC has opened her eyes to new ways of making positive, effective connections with everyone from patients to fellow nurses to faculty.

In large part, the relationship-based care component of her training has helped Wolf focus on more varied aspects of patient care. “Clinical has been very beneficial in bringing the whole picture together for me,” says Wolf, who worked in a hospital setting before joining the nursing program. “I feel as though I can focus more of my time and attention on such things as disease processes, pathophysiology of diseases/disorders, medications and lab values. I don’t sweat stuff like taking vitals, bed-making or interacting with patients or physicians. I am able to focus on the patient while performing tasks.”

Wolf believes that being part of the relationship-based care cohort has provided her with experiences and training opportunities that have helped her focus fully on her education. “Crittenton provides a safe learning environment,” she says. “This is exceptionally beneficial in reducing the stress and anxiety of students. We, as students, are bound to come across many situations that are new and unfamiliar to us, and in experiencing those

situations, we are not expected to know all of the answers or skill sets.” By working side by side with seasoned nurses, they “have been able to guide us.”

All RBC cohort participants are assigned Crittenton mentors at the beginning of the program. “In the beginning…it was comforting to know you had a go-to person for any problems or concerns,” Wolf says. Despite hectic schedules that sometimes keep Wolf and her mentor apart, “I still feel that if I needed anything, I could always go to my mentor.”

Student Katherine Wallace, who recently participated in Reigniting the Spirit of Caring (a three-day workshop that is part of the Crittenton cohort), adds that the RBC philosophy positively affects the entire profession, “(It) showed me how well I collaborate with my peers and how essential that is as a future nurse. Hearing of others’ experiences in their respective departments and their challenges helps me understand that all departments in a hospital setting are working to accomplish their expected responsibilities. Compassion and understanding are essential toward all staff and departments to maintain commitment to the highest standards of care possible. When all departments are empathetic to one another, this can lower tensions and provide a more conducive and therapeutic environment all around.”

Wolf says she feels lucky to be part of the first relationship-based care program. For students, “this experience was unique in the sense that all of our rotations have been through the same hospital system. I think that this is beneficial. We are able to quickly gain a sense of comfort…We are able to focus more of our time and attention on our education and our patients. I feel so fortunate to have been part of this experience, and I will treasure it for a very long time.” n

For nursing students, relationship-based care is two-way street

Christine Wolf is completing the RBC component of her training at Crittenton.


c rittenton Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Van Wagoner cares deeply about

the bonds that can exist between patient and caregiver. It’s what fuels her staunch advocacy of relationship-based care (RBC) and the Oakland University/Crittenton partnership designed to expand its possibilities and potential.

Responsible for overseeing nursing care at Crittenton, Van Wagoner sees RBC as “science coupled with the art of caring.”

“Nursing,” she says, “should have intention and purpose. It’s not okay for a nurse to come to work, complete a series of processes and then go home. They need to stop and think, ‘Why am I doing this? How does it affect the patient?’ ”

As a current member and former chairperson for the Oakland University School of Nursing’s Board of Visitors, Van Wagoner has been instrumental in cultivating Crittenton’s support of the RBC endowed chair as well as developing research around the topic, says Colette O’Connor, SON director of development. “She is a terrific friend of the School of Nursing.”

The partnership between Oakland and Crittenton serves everyone involved, Van Wagoner says. By creating dialogue between the places nurses learn and where they eventually work, it ensures that what’s taught translates into reality. “If I put nurses in a work environment that doesn’t espouse the things they learn in nursing school, they get frustrated and begin to wonder, ‘Why did I learn this in the first place?’ ” With both OU and Crittenton focused on relationship-based care, that gap between learning versus doing has grown increasingly small.

Van Wagoner hopes the Oakland and Crittenton partnership will help spread the word on RBC. “I see us as the Petri dish,” she says. “We have to create synergies, then create outreach, then create synergies with other organizations. If we can help spread this to other organizations, it’s our social responsibility to do it.” n

Liz Lent is a freelance writer based in Royal Oak, Mich.


Crittenton chief nursing officer expands RBC reach

By Liz Lent


Kathleen Van Wagoner

Experts provide basis for science of caring

Although School of Nursing staff works in partnership with Crittenton to determine the benefits of the RBC to patient and staff satisfaction, they have also turned to a number of experts in the field for insight. Among the national and international experts who recently visited OU were:

< Kristen Swanson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow. Swanson presented “Middle Range Theory of Caring,” which is part of the foundation for relationship-based care work implemented at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center.

< Colleen Person, consultant, Creative Health Care Management, and facilitator for Leading an Empowered Organization and Reigniting the Spirit of Caring. She has helped large and small organizations address work redesign, Appreciative Inquiry and implement professional practice.

< JoEllen Koerner, Ph.D., RN, founder of NurseMetrix and author of Healing Presence; and Kristy Welch, president, NurseMetrix, a Web-based predictive analytics company committed to enhancing nurse competency and values- based professional development.

<Jean Watson, an internationally known scholar in human caring and the art and science of caring. The author or co-author of more than 12 books on caring, including Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring, she is founder of the Center for Human Caring in Colorado and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Explains Carrie Abele, assistant professor of nursing at OU, “We have drawn upon the vast expertise of these individuals as part of our partnership with Crittenton. They have helped us create and envision the larger picture of the science of caring.” n

Kristen Swanson Colleen Person

JoEllen Koerner Jean Watson

As part of her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) thesis, Claudia Grobbel is researching how nursing students think about caring as part of the profession and how caring is taught within the nursing curriculum.


few would argue that there is an art to the softer, caring skills of nursing, but some might consider it a bit of a stretch to think of caring as a science.

Claudia Grobbel, DNP, MSN, RN, and special instructor at Oakland University’s School of Nursing, not only considers caring a science; she believes it should be measured, analyzed and formally integrated into the nursing curriculum. “Caring is the essence of professional nursing practice, and yet caring practices are often assumed and rarely measured,” explains Grobbel in her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) thesis. Through her research and work as a nurse and instructor, she has discovered her “immediate passion” – to understand how nursing students think about caring as part of the profession and how caring is taught within the nursing curriculum.

According to Grobbel, caring within the profession could become compromised by increasing demands which can overwhelm nurses, such as the growing use of technology, reduced hospital stays and generational differences in nursing students and staff.

“We teach students that caring is a pivotal part of nursing, but we also tell them they must learn about all the medications, treatments and documentation needed to become a nurse. In other words, caring is important to nursing, but it is not how we grade nursing students. We need to integrate caring into curriculum more completely,” Grobbel says. Grobbel conducted a study of nursing students currently involved in a new relationship-based care (RBC) cohortestablished at Crittenton Hospital. A $2 million endowment will establish a professorship with a focus on RBC. The cohort uses traditional teaching methods, as well as provides extra support in caring, with all clinical requirements completed at Crittenton.

“My research analyzed information collected during the application process, which included a caring inventory, an essay and an interview,” she explains. To identify the presence of caring knowledge among pre-nursing students, Grobbel analyzed the essays for the following themes: language of caring, sharing information, building relationships, role modeling, providing competent care, delivering caring actions and “being ill is stressful.” Grobbel found that students selected for the RBC cohort program

scored higher based on these themes compared to students not selected.

“It was fascinating how many students saw nursing as a calling, but also thought it was inspiring to watch good nursing in action,” she says. “Also, 94 percent understood that they were expected to be competent nurses, but to deliver caring actions was going above and beyond. They felt that soft, caring actions – actions which connected them with patients and told patients that they understood their pain – were special attributes of a nurse.

“I think the research adds credibility to the argument that pre-nursing students do possess caring knowledge,” Grobbel adds. “Our students come to us with this knowledge, and we need to take it and strengthen it, so it doesn’t get lost in the science.” Grobbel, who hopes to expand the study to a second group of cohort students, believes this knowledge will fuel further faculty discussions and help OU and other universities make adjustments to the curriculum. In addition, she hopes nursing educators will begin to measure caring abilities.

“We need to reassess how we teach nursing on many different levels; not just discussing caring in one class, but consider how we teach leadership and the caring competencies throughout the curriculum. We also need to help students self-evaluate and use personal benchmarking to extend their caring competencies.

“This is the beginning of some very wonderful work,” she says. “We have to move ahead to provide caring knowledge to our students, which will become a foundation for their nursing careers. Wherever they go, it needs to be something they take with them.” n

Karen Hildebrandt is a freelance writer from Pleasant Ridge, Mich.

Measuring how we careOU professor studies the art of caring

By Karen Hildebrandt

“We have to move ahead to provide caring

knowledge to our students which will become

a foundation for their nursing careers.

Wherever they go, it needs to be something

they take with them.”Claudia Grobbel


Cheryl Riley-Doucet, associate professor of Nursing, discussesMotivational Interviewing with OU students Maryann Ziglori and Jonathan LaPorte.

MI

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W hen was the last time you gave in to the urge to tell a friend with destructive behaviors exactly how to clean up his or her act?

Nurses often face a similar predicament with their patients. Although it’s human nature to want to be a problem solver, doling out solutions usually doesn’t work well. It’s more effective to walk alongside others as they work on fixing their own problems.

When it comes to advocating healthy behaviors and decision-making for patients, nurses have a new aid to pull out of their cart: Motivational Interviewing.

Motivational Interviewing (MI), introduced in psychotherapy in the early 1980s, was first used by psychotherapists working with clients with substance abuse problems. It has become a cross-disciplinary, cognitive-behavioral technique, now used in nursing, to help patients identify and

change unhealthy behaviors that may be precipitating a chronic illness. Whether the difficulty is with smoking, drug or alcohol use – or in adhering to restrictive diets (i.e., for diabetic or cardiac patients) – the technique emphasizes personal responsibility.

“It’s a little like finding a fish out of water by the shore,” explains School of Nursing associate professor Cheryl Riley-Doucet. “We can help get that fish back into the water, but then it’s largely out of our hands. We now have an effective therapeutic tool to help our patients make good decisions.”

internal motivationWith assistance from five clinical nurse instructors, Doucet has brought MI into the classroom. Doucet offers senior

nursing students MI instruction in the form of a lecture and follow-up workshops.

The principles of MI are easy to remember with the acronym “RULE.” During the workshop portion of the course, nurses break into groups to role-play techniques to help them achieve these principles: Resisting the righting reflex<Avoid the tendency to actively fix a patient’s problems by lecturing or admonishing, which can elicit stubbornness toward change. Readiness to change shouldn’t be regarded as a patient trait, but as a fluctuating product of interpersonal interaction.

Understand your patient’s motivation<Remember that motivation comes from within. Using techniques such as open-ended questioning and paraphrasing, the nurse directs the patient toward examining and resolving any ambivalence toward change.

Listen to your patient<The communication style should generally be quiet and always non-threatening. Use reflective listening and convey an attitude of acceptance of the patient’s feelings and perspectives.

Empower your patient<Encourage the patient by affirming they are capable of good ideas. If they choose to, they can make positive changes.

Within MI, non-verbal messages are also important. (See sidebar: “What Messages Are You Sending?”)

Since MI enables patients to dig deeper, they can uncover life-changing answers that are more likely to stick.

external reWarDSDoucet plans to contribute MI articles to nursing journals and will also present the topic to OU’s undergraduate

Motivating mindsetNurses use listening, understanding to encourage patient problem-solving

By Mary Gunderson-Switzer


(continued)

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What messages are you sending?Non-verbal communication sets the stage for effective verbal exchanges. Tips to improve non-verbal communication include:

1) RelaxIt’s easier to open up in a relaxed environment. Your anxiety affects others and can limit productive interactions. Prepare yourself by taking deep breaths and releasing tension.

2) Use facial, hand and body gestures judiciouslyOverdoing non-verbal gestures – constantly smiling or nodding your head – may become annoying and distracting, making it more difficult for others to talk to you.

3) Get feedbackAsk instructors/peers for input on your non-verbal communication (hand gestures/body posture/facial expressions/tone of voice).

4) Practice, practice, practice!Practice blending verbal messages with non-verbal body cues. Videotape yourself role-playing; replay and adjust accordingly. n

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research committee; she hopes MI will eventually be implemented into OU’s nursing curriculum as an introductory course.

“I also think it’d be great to offer this as an interdisciplinary course, such as within OU’s Honors College,” Doucet says.

The MI method is one that anyone can apply to everyday situations. It not only bolsters communication but also enhances trust within all relationships – whether nurse-to-doctor, friend-to-friend or mother-to-child.

“Motivational Interviewing is a mindset that’s a lot like ballroom dancing,” Doucet reflects. “For it to work, it takes two people moving together in partnership.”

That’s a routine that rewards everyone. n

Mary Gunderson-Switzer is a freelance writer from Kathleen, Ga.

Cheryl Riley-Doucet offers OU students instruction in Motivational Interviewing.

O a k l a N d u N i v e r s i T y s C H O O l O f N u r s i N g


22nd Annual

NightingaleAwards

for Nursing®

Nightingale Awards for Nursing®

Take part in this annual event, founded and sponsored by

Oakland University, recognizing excellence in nursing by

making plans to attend the 22nd annual celebration.

A variety of sponsorship opportunities are also available

to support this noteworthy event.

Celebrate excellence in nursing at the annual

Nightingale Awards event, Thursday, May 6, 2010,

at the San Marino Club in Troy.

For information, visit the Oakland University

School of Nursing Web site

oakland.edu/nursing/nightingale, or contact

Alison Wagner at [email protected]

or (248) 370-3799.

Get your tickets today!

Celebrate Nurses

f e a t u r e

l aura Pittiglio, assistant professor of nursing at Oakland University, knows patient attitudes are a key component of recovery. But even she’s been

stunned to see so much hope in such an unlikely group: HIV-infected mothers.

That hope was the impetus behind Pittiglio’s study which was recently published in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. For the study, Pittiglio analyzed primarily low-income African-American mothers who relied on strategies that not only enabled them to cope with HIV, but also develop better attitudes toward life and more positive behavior than before their diagnosis. “These are phenomenal women,” Pittiglio says. “Not only are they successful caregivers to their kids, but they are living, they are surviving, they are thriving with HIV.” Their attitude is to embrace life rather than await death, relishing life’s simple moments. It is an attitude that helps them improve their lives and perhaps prolong them, Pittiglio says. “We used to think of HIV as a death sentence, but these mothers don’t,” she says. “One woman said, ‘The diagnosis has changed my life … I am more grateful and humble’, and ‘I used to be in a rush for everything, and now I am more content and patient.’ ” The mothers used a combination of active and passive strategies to cope with their illness. Passive strategies – things like becoming more spiritual – set them apart to help them come to terms with the disease. That made them more goal-oriented and helped them get on with their lives.

“Mothers are resourceful, and they find a way to get where they need to be as a caregiver to their families,” Pittiglio points out. “Sometimes it was as simple as skipping their medicine that day so they had the energy to help their child with whatever they needed. Of course a doctor is going to

cringe if he or she hears about withholding medicine, but that is how these moms could take care of their children despite the medicine’s side effects. They had to adjust to cope.” Pittiglio never set out to study how these mothers coped with the disease. The study was a secondary analysis of women who participated in a larger study that looked at the adjustment of uninfected school-aged children of mothers with HIV/AIDS. “When I saw how phenomenal these women were, I decided to take a second look,” she says. “I knew from my work that most studies done on coping methods had been on homosexual males

rather than mothers.” She completed the work with Edythe Hough, a former dean and professor with Wayne State University’s College of Nursing in Detroit. The study shatters the stereotype that low-income women are less capable of coping with stress than other populations, Pittiglio points out. “My hope for this study is that it shows there are other forms of coping skills, and we shouldn’t generalize people and think there is one way to handle something,” she says with that trademark hope. n

Rene Wisely is a freelance writer in West Bloomfield, Mich.

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HIV mothers: they cope through hopeBy Rene Wisely


Positive attitudes are proving to be a key recovery component with HIV mothers.

Laura Pittiglio, assistant professor of nursing at OU, is quickly building a reputation for her work on HIV research. As evidence, Frances Jackson, who oversees SON’s Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program, recently

asked for her assistance with another study sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield examining how HIV attitudes in African-American women impact their behavior.

Jackson, Pittiglio and nursing school grads Kelly Davis (’09) and Carolyn Robertson (’09) are in the midst of analyzing data they mined from interviews with African-American women in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids. They targeted

that group because in Michigan, 75 percent of all new HIV diagnoses are African-American women. Those between the ages of 25 and 40 are the only group in the country where diagnoses are increasing, according to the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council, of which Jackson is on the advisory board.

“The idea is to discover the attitudes behind the behaviors, and that will help us intervene with educational resources to reduce the risk of getting HIV,” explains Pittiglio.

Robertson, now in the neurotrauma ICU unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital, jumped at the chance to work with Pittiglio and Jackson. “Research is so important for nursing,” she explains. “We learn better ways to care for people when we do the research.”

Davis says her involvement in the study has been invaluable as well at her job in the recovery room at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills. “It was eye-opening how some people view health care and taking care of themselves,” she says. “Knowing that changes the way I perceive people, and I keep that knowledge with me every time I go to work,” she says.

Jackson was pleased at the students’ eagerness to help. “It gives me hope that there will be people to carry on the research torch,” she says. n

Laura Pittiglio, assistant professor of Nursing at OU, is working with fellow staff and students to research HIV attitudes and behaviors.

Attention SON AlumniWe want to hear from you Please let us know where you are working, what you are doing, awards you have earned or changes you are making. We know nurses tend to be modest; this is your chance to share your or your colleagues’ accomplishments in future issues of The Pulse, on the School of Nursing Web site and in other publications. We also want to know what you want to read in future issues of The Pulse!

graduates: get involved…The School of Nursing Alumni Committee is looking for graduates who would like to be involved! The committee has expressed interest in creating mentorships, offering regular continuing education seminars, networking and sharing their experience with others.

To submit your accomplishments, sign up to help set the direction of the Nursing Alumni Committee or share great ideas of your own, please contact Amy Johnson at [email protected].

Continuing work...Carving out an expertise

OU’s online RN to BSN

program provides RNs the

opportunity to earn a BSN

through an affordable,

convenient program.

The program offers all

required completion

sequence, non-nursing

and general education degree courses for RNs online at

in-state tuition rates.

This degree completion course sequence recognizes the

RN’s prior education and experience. Courses add value

to this base and promote continued advancement in

the profession. Because RNs are licensed and practicing

in their field, the nursing course sequence includes only

one non-traditional clinical course.

All required nursing courses are offered online each

fall and winter term, while one course is offered each

summer term. Non-nursing and general education

required courses are offered online throughout the

academic year.

Since students can set their own pace,

the time to complete the program varies.

However, the minimum time needed is

two years, excluding summer. There is no

mandatory time limit for degree completion.

For more information about admission requirements

and transfer credits, review the RN/BSN degree

completion sequence booklet available on the OU

SON Web site at oakland.edu/nursing and click on

Academic Programs.

Online RN to BSN program available to all


Looking for an ounce of preventionSON conducts first-ever community service project to help expectant moms

By Rene Wisely

f e a t u r e

21

K im Holka, a visiting instructor at Oakland University’s School of Nursing, found herself educating and saving minds simultaneously.

She pioneered a new community service project that took nursing students out of the classroom and into OB/GYN offices throughout metro Detroit.

Holka teamed up with Shelly Bania, a fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) prevention specialist at CARE, a Fraser-based agency that helps those concerned about mental health, alcohol, tobacco and other drug dependencies. Together they came up with a project that had OU students visiting physicians’

offices in the fall to gauge how effectively expectant mothers are screened for alcohol use. “FASD is the leading cause of preventable mental impairments and birth defects in our country today, and it affects 1 out of every 100 children, so we know there is a breakdown in education somewhere,” explains Bania. To identify the breakdown, the 30 students split into teams and sat down with the staff of five OB/GYN offices. They surveyed the staff to discover what steps they follow when a newly expectant mother comes through their doors. “We gave the students a script to help with the conversation,” Holka explains. Many of the offices did ask patients about alcohol use, and documented it, but some didn’t follow up on the answers when a patient was at risk. “The students had learned in their classes that asking the questions the right way can impact the answers,” Bania notes. “For instance, ‘You don’t drink, do you?’ is judgmental and likely to impact how the expectant mom answers.”

The students shared their FASD knowledge with the offices, often leaving them with educational tools on how to screen an expectant mom and where they could get more resources. They reminded them that women who prove to be at risk should be identified early and referred to counseling and treatment. “Research shows that early diagnosis is the key to preventing birth defects,” Bania explains. She adds, “There is no safe amount of alcohol for an expectant mother.” Communicating to the doctors’ offices was a key component of the community service project, Holka explains. “Learning to give feedback was very useful for nursing students in developing their own communication skills, as well as helping them develop their “bedside manner.” The experience also exposed them to a multidisciplinary approach to health care, explains David Schwartz, a psychologist and the outreach coordinator from the OU Counseling Center. He provided psycho-educational training in alcohol screening and depression to the nursing students prior to the community project and an alcohol screening day on campus. “This gave them an opportunity to work with a variety of health care professionals who all have the patient’s best interest in mind,” he says. Bania was pleased with the outcome, particularly the passion the students showed throughout the project. “These nursing students are in a unique situation,” Bania notes. “They are our future health care workers, and they

can impact the minds of tomorrow, not only because of their profession but because they are future moms and dads, too.” It was a mindful lesson. n

Rene Wisely is a freelance writer in West Bloomfield, Mich.


“There is no safe amount of alcohol for an expectant mother.”


Riverview Institute partnership helps meet growing demand

for professionals

Practical Nursing Program Director Sheila Douglas-Collins teaches at the new Riverview Institute of Oakland University. Riverview is a state-of-the-art facility that is addressing the growing demand for health care professionals through accelerated second degree and other programs.

f e a t u r e

S ometimes it takes two, or three, to make a positive change.

A new partnership between Oakland University’s School of Nursing and St. John Health, which last fall launched the Riverview Institute of Oakland University, will help meet the growing demand for health care professionals in the state and nation. Also involved were the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Healthy Neighborhoods Detroit Foundation.

The Riverview Institute, formerly St. John’s Riverview Hospital, is a collaboration of these influential institutions that has resulted in a state-of-the-art facility that can better handle the growing demand for health care professionals through accelerated second degree (ASD) programs. The ASD programs at Riverview cater to the diverse needs of today’s students by providing a BSN in 12 months to students who already have a bachelor’s degree and are looking for a career change into the nursing field. The new nurses will then have the opportunity to be hired at one of St. John’s area hospitals.

“Finishing a BSN degree in 12 months enables our graduates to take advantage of career opportunities that are available right now,” says Barbara Penprase, associate professor of nursing.

School of Nursing Dean Linda Thompson Adams says, “We are able to better serve the needs of our students by increasing the number of students we can accept into the nursing program, and expand our education mission. The Riverview Institute has tremendous potential to make a lasting impact on the health of the community and region.”

BreaKing DoWn BarrierSOrganizers at Riverview are aware that in many instances, a barrier exists between the person who needs assistance and the resources that can support them. Often finances, child care, and transportation issues mean supportive services go underutilized.

“The idea behind Riverview is to make sure those barriers are removed, or at least lowered, so that the people who need us have a chance,” says Jacqueline Glover, operations director. “We offer assistance with transportation issues,

money for books, uniforms, supplies, mentoring and daycare so that our students can overcome some of these basic challenges.” proviDing the BeSt reSourceS, eDucational toolSRiverview also offers a variety of work force development programs, such as Patient Care Technician, Certified Nurse’s Aide and Licensed Practical Nurse.

In addition, with 60,000 square feet of teaching area, Riverview is able to showcase an updated and expanded curriculum featuring technological and equipment improvements. To ensure students are experienced with the very latest in health care advancements, the site boasts

two hospital-replicated teaching labs that include realistic human simulators and critical care room simulators. a focuS on the communityRiverview also is developing community programming such as healthy cooking, proper exercise and healthy eating. Public seminars and workshops on topics like aging well, health and nutrition also will be offered. The Agency on Aging provided some additional funding for these community projects, but more is needed. Also launching soon at the Riverview Institute of Oakland University will be a Community Wellness Center, designed to become a high-tech health promotion and disease prevention center. The center focuses on men and women aged 50 and older, delivering a client-centered approach to whole person wellness. The center embraces both traditional nursing and alternative therapies.

The center’s primary care clinic will serve the local community with blood pressure monitoring, vision testing, bone density screening, diabetic testing and nutritional counseling. The fitness area offers mind and body exercise equipment that is elderly accessible and user friendly. In addition, classes are offered on nutrition, chronic disease management, smoking cessation, relaxation techniques, medication and disease prevention.

The Riverview Institute of Oakland University is located at 7733 E. Jefferson Avenue. Please contact Jacqueline Glover at [email protected] or (313) 499-4012 for more information. n


Jacqueline Glover, operations director in the School of Nursing, says the Riverview Institute offers 60,000 square feet of teaching area.

Riverview program is already making a differenceRiverview student Kurt Edwards is already experiencing the difference the Riverview Institute’s resources can make.

Just two years ago, the Detroit-area resident found himself among the many people who became unemployed when his longtime employer, Farmer Jack, left Michigan. Then 45, Edwards was unsure where to turn next.

“It was 2007, and I was divorced and permanently laid off. I was in need of a program that offered assistance as well as career opportunity because through no fault of my own I needed help,” he said.

Edwards enrolled in the No Worker Left Behind program through the state of Michigan and researched growing career fields. He discovered the nursing programs available through Oakland at Riverview.

“Health care is an important field right now, and it’s a place where I knew I could build a solid new career,” says Edwards. He completed training to become a Certified Nurse’s Aide (CNA) and soon after enrolled to earn his certification as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Having graduated this past fall, Edwards meets each week with fellow graduates to study for state licensing board exams.

There were many challenges along the way, including the possibility of homelessness, as Edwards struggled financially to make ends meet while studying.

“At times, the money would run out and I would have periods of extreme struggle, but my family supported my decision to switch careers and continued to support me, which enabled me to get through it. The nursing program itself was extremely challenging, and maintaining the GPA was more than just a couple hours of study. It was a lifestyle change, but I did it,” he explains. “I was willing to make sacrifices in my life in order to achieve my goal. No eating out, no cable TV, hours upon hours in the library.”

Edwards says the Riverview program has given him a second chance. “I had been away from school for a long time. It was tough at first to get back in to the mindset of studying. Financially, it was a challenge because I was not working. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of support from friends and from the people at Riverview. With help from the state and through this program I was able to go back to school and focus on the classroom.”

“It’s an excellent program. They really stand behind you,” he said.

Since then, Edwards has helped spread the word about the program. He has been a featured speaker in front of groups including Michigan Works! representatives, the OU Board of Trustees and local businesses and corporations.

Riverview’s staff is equally impressed by Edwards.

“We’ve watched him grow from an individual with no health care background to someone who is ready and prepared for a successful health care career,” says Jacqueline Glover, operations director. “He’s a true success story and an inspiration to other students.” n

At 47, Kurt Edwards is looking forward to a new career in health care thanks to the Riverview Institute programs.

Oakland University’s School of

Nursing offers nurses seeking to

earn another degree convenient,

flexible degree programs – available

online. That way, you can complete

your degree in your preferred

time, in your own place, at your pace, from a renowned,

respected, innovative and progressive nursing school.

Consider getting your advanced degree online from

Oakland University’s School of Nursing.

Online degree programs include:

n RN to BSN/MSN – These programs recognize the

RN’s prior education and experience with

courses that add value and promote continued

advancement in the field. The programs offer

all required degree completion sequence,

non-nursing and general education courses

for RNs online at in-state tuition rates.

n Master of Science in Nursing Education –

With all the foundation courses available

online, this program prepares nurses to teach

in the classroom and clinical settings. The

clinical experience is arranged in the student’s

local community.

n Doctor of Nursing Practice – This program, the

highest degree for clinical nursing practice, uses a

combination of distance learning technology and

limited classroom formats, which may require up to

two face-to-face sessions during a semester.

Information sessions are offered both online or on-site.

Learn more or apply today

Call (248) 370-4253

oakland.edu/nursing

Your nursing degreeYour schedule Your future


S ome people give to the community in their spare time, while others devote their lives to it. Cynthia Taueg, Ph.D., DHA, MPH, RN, is among the latter.

Taueg, who is vice president of Community Health for St. John Health, has focused on public and community health since earning her nursing degree in 1971. While pursuing higher levels of education, over the years she has held key positions at the Detroit Health Department, Wayne County Department of Health and St. John Health System. In her current position, she oversees St. John Health’s major community health programs.

“Community health is my passion,” Taueg explains. “I believe strongly in prevention and education. And while we want to take care of people when they’re ill, I think it’s very important for us to be out in the community, helping people stay well.”

That’s a key principle behind a new program led in part by St. John Health System called Healthy Neighborhoods Detroit. Taueg, a native Detroiter, serves on the board of this collaborative non-profit organization, which is designed to improve access to primary health care, safe and affordable housing, and work force development opportunities.

“We believe these things are key to promoting a healthy lifestyle,” Taueg explains.

Other community programs developed by St. John Health System include the creation of 10 school-based health centers in Detroit and surrounding areas, a program for grieving children, an initiative to help prevent infant mortality and a community nursing program operated in conjunction with area churches.

“Cynthia has always been interested in how we can build partnerships and help communities,” says Linda Thompson Adams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the Oakland University School of Nursing. She has known Taueg since they lived in the same dorm during nursing school.

Taueg’s emphasis on building relationships extends to Oakland University’s School of Nursing, which has recognized her with a Nightingale Award for Nursing.®

In addition, St. John Health worked with the School of Nursing to create the Riverview Institute of Oakland University. Housed in the former St. John Riverview Hospital, the institute offers accelerated second degree nursing programs that allow students to earn a BSN degree in just 12 months.

St. John Health also provides some scholarships for this program and offers clinical placement for students as needed after graduation.

“Cynthia has always been willing to share her talents and the resources available to her through her work to support the vision and mission of the School of Nursing,” Adams says.

Taueg applauds this vision, which she describes as “a campus without walls that reaches out into the community.” And this philosophy of community involvement is one she feels is fundamental to the practice of nursing.

“Nursing is an outstanding, noble profession that serves as an entrée to improving the quality of people’s lives,” Taueg explains. “And the satisfaction you feel in being able to help others feeds you, so you can help even more people.” n

Amy Lynn Smith is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Mich.

Caring for the communityExemplary professional dedicates her career to public health

By Amy Lynn Smith

Longtime SON supporter Cynthia Taueg (right), vice president ofCommunity Health for St. John Health Systems, has focused her career on prevention and education. Shown here with Karen Gray Sheffield from the Open Arms facility in Detroit, Taueg’s reach is expansive and includes support for OU’s Riverview Institute.

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OU graduate Lynn Etters (SON ’07) is bringing new ideas to the field of gerontology.

f e a t u r e

W hen you’re truly passionate about what you want to do, it’s possible to move forward with your dreams by leaps and bounds.

That’s definitely the case for Lynn Etters, MSN, NP-C, GNP-BC, (SON ’07) who is already helping to reshape the way care is delivered to older adults.

Etters’ timing is impeccable, considering that according to U.S. Census Bureau projections, a substantial increase in the number of older people will occur during the 2010 to 2030 period. After the first Baby Boomers turn 65 in 2011, the older population in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as in 2000, growing from 35 million to 72 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. population at the latter date. As Americans live longer, often with chronic illness, this substantial increase in the 65 and older population is expected to put a tremendous strain on the health care system.

Etters graduated from the Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (Adult/GNP) program, having decided early on that she wanted to pursue a career in caring for the elderly.

“My interest comes from a long-term sensitivity to people with dementia and to geriatrics in general,” Etters explains. “There’s so much need in the population with dementia, so I wanted to narrow my focus on that problem.”

Her professors recognized Etters’ well-defined objectives, too, especially Barbara Harrison, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Nurse Practitioner program at the School of Nursing.

“Lynn’s passion for gerontology was clear from the beginning,” she says. “She’s truly committed to older adult health and is following through with the kind of enthusiasm she showed in school.”

Etters was one of the students Harrison chose to help with a research project to test an intervention for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their family caregivers, to help the patients retain memories of their loved ones.

After graduation, Etters began working in the geriatric center at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township, Mich. She was then awarded a prestigious gerontology fellowship offered by the Sigma Theta Tau

International Honor Society of Nursing. The Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy fellowship is funded through a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation.

Etters’ proposal was one of only 16 in the United States to be selected for this fellowship. All projects must take an interdisciplinary approach to geriatric care and be performed through the applicant’s work.

The focus of Etters’ project named “Homeostenosis” was to create an interdisciplinary geriatric team within the hospital to perform weekly rounds for the most difficult cases. In addition, she assisted in educating and supporting RNs interested in certification for a geriatric resource nurse. “At the time, I was the only nurse there who was certified in geriatrics,” she says.

In November 2009, Etters and her colleagues made a presentation about their 18-month project at the annual Sigma Theta Tau International biennial convention.

She’s now on staff at Michigan’s Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, working in the outpatient neurology department, where she’s helped launch a memory clinic.

“We’re taking a multi-disciplinary team approach to comprehensive memory assessments,” Etters explains. “What I learned about leadership during the fellowship has assisted me in helping us to develop the team approach here.”

This collaborative model involves a behavioral neurologist, a social worker from the Alzheimer’s Association, a neuropsychologist and a geriatric nurse practitioner — Etters — who all work together. “This is a fairly new concept for a memory clinic,” she says.

Having already narrowed her focus from primary care in geriatrics to a focus in dementia, Etters is now considering furthering her education — and she’s already returned to the School of Nursing as a guest lecturer at Harrison’s invitation.

“The students liked hearing from such a recent graduate,” Harrison says. “Lynn is extremely driven and brings great insight to the care of older adults.” n

Amy Lynn Smith is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Mich.

Advancing gerontological nursingRecent graduate helps bring innovative ideas to the field while pursuing her career goals

By Amy Lynn Smith

29T H E P U L S E M A G A z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 1 0

the tradition continues...

Nursing:The Art and Science of Caring

EnvisionCONFERENCES e p t e m b e r 2 4 , 2 0 1 0

o a k l a n d . e d u / n u r s i n g / 2 0 1 0 e n v i s i o n c o n f e r e n c e

your support will help oakland university deliver a world-class nursing education

The Nightingale Gift Society gives you the opportunity to help shape and influence Oakland’s SON and the future of nursing.

As a member, you are stepping forward to assist Oakland as it educates the next generation of nurses. With a philosophy that nursing and nurses are integral to facilitating health and well-being among all people and their communities, Oakland is at the forefront in preparing the very best nurses for the 21st century.

Together we can make a difference in the lives of our students who will make a difference in the world around us.

Memberships are renewable annually and all contributions are applied toward membership in the Oakland University cumulative gift societies. For more information regarding benefits visit oakland.edu/nursing.

Return this form with payment:Oakland UniversityAttn: Nightingale Gift SocietyJohn Dodge House2200 North Squirrel RoadRochester, MI 48309-4401

Name _____________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________

City/State/zIP _______________________________________________

E-mail _____________________________________________________

Home phone ________________________________________________

NightiNgAle Gift Society

q Enclosed is my check payable to Oakland University for $__________

q Please charge $__________ to my q VISA q MasterCard

Print name as it appears on card ________________________________

Card # ______________________________ Exp. Date ______________

Signature __________________________________________________

q $500 q $250 q $100 q $50 q $ _______________

#

T h E F I F T h A N N u A l

Featuring keynote speaker: Jean Watson, author Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

Also:Ruth Hansten, author, founder Hansten Healthcare, PLLC Colleen Person, consultant, Creative Health Care ManagementJoEllen Koerner, founder NurseMetrixKristen Swanson, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill

in brief...

In April, Oakland University officials, alumni, friends, faculty and students joined dignitaries from across the state to break ground on the new shared home of the School of Nursing (SON) and the School of Health Sciences (SHS) – the 160,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Human Health Building.

“Oakland University’s faculty and staff have built a superb array of programs in the field of health care, and our students have opened doors to promising career opportunities by excelling in them,” Oakland President Gary D. Russi says. “By incorporating the most advanced thinking in classroom design and technology in the Human Health Building, we will bring our commitment to excellence full circle. Every aspect of the educational experience we offer in nursing and health sciences will be the best students can find here in Michigan and beyond.”

Upon completion, the five-story facility will offer a cohesive learning environment for students enrolled in OU’s nursing, physical therapy, injury prevention, medical laboratory sciences and other health-based programs. By providing clinical practice and simulation spaces and equipping the building’s classrooms and labs with the same technologies found in today’s hospitals and community-based health care settings, the facility will allow professors to provide leading-edge, interactive instruction that will benefit students and the patients they one day will serve.

“This will not only enhance Oakland’s ‘hands-on’ approach to the teaching and learning of patient-care methodology, it will enable the university to expand research initiatives and educational partnerships with hospitals and other health care organizations throughout the region,” Linda Thompson Adams, dean of the School of Nursing, says.

The Human Health Building will expand Oakland University’s leadership role in health care education for

Oakland County, meshing with the aims of local and state elected officials determined to make Michigan a medical destination in terms of care, research and resources, while at the same time mitigating the staff shortages expected to impact the health care industry in coming years. With this new building, OU will generate better health care, new jobs, new revenue and new industry for Michigan.

As part of the state’s 2008 Capital Outlay Budget, Oakland will receive $40 million in state funding to support construction of the new building. The remaining $22 million in anticipated costs, along with roughly $11 million in related infrastructure and technology improvements, will be financed through fundraising support and the issuance of university general revenue bonds.

Designed by SmithGroup architects, the Human Health Building marks the fourth new facility added to Oakland’s campus in the last 13 years, during which time OU enrollment has grown by close to 80 percent. n

human health Building breaks ground, underscores ou commitment to health care

n e w s b r i e f s


OU broke ground on the new Human Health Building in April.

n e w s b r i e f s

32O a k l a N d u N i v e r s i T y s C H O O l O f N u r s i N g

Organizers of the 2009 Scrub the Halls fundraising campaign have deemed it a success. The fundraiser for students in the LPN program at the Riverview Institute of Oakland University collected a total of $940 – $300 more than the initial campaign goal.

The Riverview Institute, formerly St. John’s Riverview Hospital, is a collaboration of influential institutions that has resulted in a state-of-the-art facility that can better handle the growing demand for health care professionals through accelerated second degree (ASD) programs. In addition, Riverview offers a variety of work force development programs, such as patient care technician, certified nurse’s aide and licensed practical nurse, and community programming such as healthy cooking, proper exercise and healthy eating.

The approximately two-week project will benefit participants in the LPN program at Riverview by purchasing scrubs for their use. This year, 27 sets of scrubs were provided to the students, with the remaining funds slated for other Riverview needs.

In its second official year, the Scrub the Halls project was chaired this year by nursing students SueSan Eghbalian and Alyssa Shuga, who are also members of the School of Nursing’s Dean’s Circle.

“The idea of being able to support a great cause for nursing students in Detroit and hopefully further inspire them with their future education and goals was very motivating,” Eghbalian said. “My hope is that this is a project that can continue receiving great support and grow further so that eventually a fund can be established for the school.”

To raise funds, the chairs spoke to nursing classes, the Student Nurses Association at OU (SNAOU) and the Dean’s Circle about the project. They also sent e-mails and flyers throughout campus and reached out into the community, contacting local physicians, fire departments and businesses.

Organizers hope to continue the project on an annual basis. For more information, or to contribute, call (248) 370-4253. n

Scrub the halls has second success

Taking the next step in your nursing career can mean helping to educate the next generation of nurses. Oakland University’s School of Nursing now has an online 15-credit post-baccalaureate nursing education certificate program that will give you greater expertise and confidence in teaching nursing. “This program is in response to requests from clinical practice facilities, health care agencies and higher education institutions who want better preparation for those practicing nurses who are expected to participate as clinical instructors or patient nurse education specialists,” says Mary Mittelstaedt, Nursing program coordinator. Through the program, BSN-prepared nurses will have the opportunity to hone skills required to be proficient undergraduate clinical instructors, nurse educators or specialty educators who can conduct staff orientation and/or staff development activities within various health care settings.

“The online format is a flexible option for students who work irregular and varied work shifts yet desire to advance their academic and career opportunities,” Mittelstaedt says. Content in the program focuses on learning styles, teaching methods and evaluation strategies. The post-baccalaureate nursing education certificate consists of three courses (5 credits each). Should the student decide to pursue a master’s degree, successful completion of all three courses will be considered the equivalent for the first two specialty courses of the master’s degree for those applicants who meet the admission criteria for the master’s degree program. For more information, please contact (248) 370-4253 or [email protected]. n

Son offers a post-baccalaureate nursing education certificate program


camp rn takes place in July Oakland University School of Nursing will again host CAMP RN@OU, a two-week (July 19 – 30, 2010), pre-college summer program designed to educate and inform upcoming 7th, 8th and 9th graders of the opportunities available through a career in nursing. This entertaining and educational camp exposes students to biology, chemistry and the nursing profession.

CAMP RN@OU participants are engaged in nursing forensics, biology, math and chemistry workshops, while learning nursing fundamentals including CPR and First Aid Certification. Participants also tour Oakland University, interact with nurses in a hospital setting (shadowing), and use OU’s new physical assessment laboratory to learn about the human body.

Registration, due by June 12, is on a first come, first served basis. To register, call (248) 370-4068 or e-mail [email protected].

n e w s b r i e f s

34

Oakland University’s School of Nursing (SON) will host the 22nd Annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing® on Thursday, May 6, beginning at 5 p.m. at the San Marino Club in Troy. The

program will honor nine award recipients and nine runners-up for their dedication to the field of nursing. Hosted by the SON and its Board of Visitors, with the help of presenting sponsors, the ceremony honors nursing professionals and their contributions while raising funds for student scholarships and equipment to train 21st-century nurses. The awards are given in honor of Florence Nightingale, the Briton who in the mid-1800s created the nursing profession. The program also marks the 100th anniversary of her passing.

The Nightingale Awards are given to nurses in the areas of administration, advanced nurse practice, research and education, long-term care and rehabilitation, nursing in the community, staff practice (two) and the OU distinguished alumni in nursing. A People’s Choice award is also presented for patients or their family members who want to share their story about a nurse who made a significant difference.

“Today’s nurses have broken through stereotypes and have had a tremendous impact on the community and the world. It’s important that we recognize their contributions,” said Linda Thompson Adams, dean of the SON.

Nightingale Award nominations are received from physicians, nurses and hospital administrators at health care agencies all over Michigan. All licensed nurses working in the state are eligible. The nominations and support letters are passed on to a selection committee, which reviews candidates based on achievements, community service and professional organizations. Committee members independently score each of those criteria, and the top-scoring candidates comprise the winners and runners-up.

Nightingale Award committee member Christine Fornal, who is corporate compliance officer at St. John-Macomb-Oakland Hospital, says recognizing the nursing profession publicly through awards such as Nightingale is essential.

“There are so many wonderful nurses, and we are so proud of all of them,” Fornal says. “It is difficult to choose just a few to honor. So (within the nominations) we look for the story that really pulls at your heart. We look for a specific description that demonstrates how meaningful the work the nurse is doing is to his or her patients and the community.”

Suzanne zayan, who received the 2009 People’s Choice award, says, “The Nightingale Award recognizes and exemplifies the magnificent contribution nurses demonstrate and deliver to patients, families, our team members and to our profession itself, both on and off duty.

The role of a nurse cannot simply be defined by daily duties or job descriptions. Our roles extend far beyond the morning assessments, medication administration, implementing orders or monitoring output.

“The Nightingale Award gives our peers and our families and patients an opportunity to represent the selfless and beautiful role that nurses contribute to our profession. It is a night to hug each other, laugh, relax and collectively fill our souls with hope, inspiration and goodness as we share through our experiences of the human spirit.”

Judith Pegg, recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Alumni award, is one of the members of the 2010 selection committee. Pegg, coordinator of the Outpatient Diabetes Program at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, says acknowledging the importance of the nursing profession and the great work done by Nightingale recipients helps with nursing recruitment and retention. The scholarships awarded also assist recipients in furthering their careers.

“This type of award brings more awareness to the profession,” she says. “I am very excited to be part of this event. And I truly believe every single nurse deserves recognition.”

As a recipient, Pegg says she was “totally overwhelmed.”

“I was very humbled when I met the other recipients. I always am amazed at what my fellow nurses are accomplishing, the difference they are making in patients’ lives. It was a true honor to be one of them.”

All nominated nurses receive a certificate of honor. The nine award winners receive a bronze statue of Florence Nightingale, a Nightingale pin and $1,000. Each runner-up receives a plaque and Nightingale pin.

The Nightingale Awards for Nursing® coincide with National Nurses Week and Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12, 1820. For more information about the event, please call (248) 370-3799. n

nightingale awards honor top nurses22nd Annual

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Oakland University’s School of Nursing wants to hear from you. Nurses, physicians, patients, family members, allied health professionals, faculty and others are invited to complete this statement: “I believe nursing …”

Send your response (in 100 to 500 words) to Amy Johnson, Oakland University, SON, 428 O’Dowd Hall, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309-4401, or e-mail it to [email protected].

Select submissions will be published on OU’s SON Web site and in future issues of The Pulse. n

Share your thoughts

on nursing


envision conference provides “a new vision for a new decade”Mark your calendars now for Oakland University’s 2010 Envision Conference taking place September 24 at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Mich. The conference annually brings together nurse executives, nurses and entrepreneurs to discuss the latest trends in health care.

This year’s theme, “Nursing: The Art and Science of Caring,” will feature prominent speakers with expertise in the science of caring in the field of health care.

Keynote speaker will be Jean Watson, an internationally renowned scholar in human caring and the art and science of caring. The author or co-author of more than 12 books on caring, including Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring, she is founder of the Center for Human Caring in Colorado and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Watson will present an overview of caring and its importance in health and healing.

Following her presentation, Ruth Hansten, RN, Ph.D. FACHE, the author of six books and numerous articles on health care, and Colleen Person, consultant, Creative Health Care Management, will discuss ways to develop and implement caring relationships in the clinical practice setting. JoEllen Koerner, founder of NurseMetrix, a Web-based predictive analytics company committed to enhancing nurse competency and values-based professional development, will present “The Need for Caring in Practice: A Call for Action.” Koerner is the author of Healing Presence.

Closing remarks on caring and leadership will be presented by Kristen Swanson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow.

Participants in the 2010 Envision Conference also will have opportunities to attend breakout sessions focusing on research, clinical practice and academics.

A panel discussion, “A Conversation with Caring Leaders,” is also planned. Distinguished leaders in the field will discuss the key issues, challenges and future opportunities for nursing and health care.

Conference participants, including nurses and OU doctoral nursing students, also will display nursing-related poster abstracts during the event.

For more information on the 2010 Envision Conference, please call Alison Wagner at (248) 370-3799 or e-mail [email protected]. n

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Recent program graduates Joseph Donofrio, CRNA, MSN; David England, CRNA, MSN; Leah McDonald, CRNA, MSN; Nicole Schmidt, CRNA, MSN – along with their research chair Carrie Motyka Ph.D., RN, and Mileto, CRNA, MS – published research in the December 2009 issue of the AANA Journal. The research article is titled “Extended Release Epidural Morphine vs. Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block for Management of Postoperative Pain Following Orthopedic Knee Surgery: A Retrospective Study.” In addition, the graduates were awarded the AANA’s Program Director’s Outstanding Student Researcher Award in 2008.

Manjit Singh Brar, CRNA, MSN, published an article in the December 2009 issue of the AANA Journal titled, “Airway Management in a Bleeding Adult Following Tonsillectomy: A Case Report.”

u AwA r D S A N D r E Co g N i T i o NSeth Fisher was nominated by research chair, Barbara Harrison, Ph.D., RN, and program director Lisa Mileto, CRNA, MS, for the Board of Visitors Excellence in Nursing Award. He was selected for demonstrating strong academic and clinical performance and an outstanding level of professional quality patient care. Fisher received this award at the 2009 December Convocation.

Shamim Ullah, RN, BSN, was selected to represent Oakland University-Beaumont’s nurse anesthesia program and her peers throughout the United States as the student representative to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Wellness Committee. Ullah will travel to AANA meetings, write for a national column addressing student anesthetists on the subject of wellness, and work on a collaborative research project with Oakland University School of Nursing faculty and the AANA to survey nurse anesthesia students on vertical violence to determine its impact on students’ wellness.

u S T U Dy A B r o A DFor the fourth consecutive year, gary Moore, associate professor of Nursing, will accompany nursing research students as they experience international health care in Italy. Held in collaboration with C.E.R.E.F. (a foundation affiliated with the University of Padua), the students will visit Italy May 15-28. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the process of research. Students will be able to review and use research findings from nursing and other disciplines that can be applied in their clinical practice. SON offers students the opportunity to travel and experience the diversity of global health care practices they have read about in text books by sending students to study abroad in countries like Italy, Ireland and Korea. Through this experience, students will gain a broader understanding of global health care, and how culture and politics affect patient care around the world.

h I G h L I G h T S A n d A C C O M P L I S h M e n T S

SON faculty highlights andaccomplishments

u r E S E A r C H A N D r E L AT E D AC T i v i T yStudents and faculty in oakland University-Beaumont’s graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia have worked closely to form a multidisciplinary research team investigating perioperative hypoglycemia in surgical patients. The research, “Associated factors of perioperative hypoglycemia in surgical patients,” was a collaborative effort between Oakland University and Beaumont Hospital. It was the recipient of the 2009 Oakland University-Beaumont Multidisciplinary Research Award in the amount of $6,000. The results of the study will strengthen protocols for blood sugar management for surgical patients at Beaumont and may improve perioperative diabetes care nationally.

The team also submitted a poster at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Foundation’s State of the Science General and Oral Poster Sessions in August 2009. Researchers included: Seth Fisher, CRNA, MSN; Keri Nowakowski, CRNA, MSN; Margo Krugger, CRNA, MSN; Matthew Margraf, CRNA,MSN; Fatema omran, M.D.; Solomon rosenblatt, M.D.; Barbara Harrison, Ph.D.; richard Han, M.D.; Tamara Dukatz, CRNA, MSN; Lisa Mileto, CRNA, MS; and Anne Hranchook, CRNA, MSN.

u P U B L i C AT i o N S Linda Thompson Adams, dean and professor of Oakland University’s School of Nursing (SON), offered insight on the increasing need for nurses in an editorial for the Detroit News in October 2009. Titled, “University-private ventures can address nurse shortage,” Adams’ article stressed the importance of training nurses specifically to care for the aging population and those with chronic illnesses.

Darlene Schott-Baer, professor of Nursing, and SON student Pamela Mayes published “Professional development for night shift nurses” in the 2010 Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing. The article was also selected as an article leading to Continuing Nursing Education for registered nurses.

The diabetes research study “Associated factors of perioperative hypoglycemia in surgical patients,” conducted by oakland University-Beaumont’s graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia research team (see above), was selected, and the abstract from the poster was published in the October 2009 issue of the AANA Journal. An article highlighting the diabetes research also was featured in the fall 2009 OU Research magazine.

Lisa Mileto, CRNA, MS, program director of the Nurse Anesthesia program, and Anne Marie Hranchook, CRNA, MSN, assistant program director, contributed the chapter “Generational Dynamics in Nurse Anesthesia Education” in a newly published book, A Resource for Nurse Anesthesia Educators, which was published by the AANA in August 2009.

Better Nurses Start With A Better

Nursing Program

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center and Oakland University’s School of Nursing are committed to the delivery of nursing

excellence. The establishment of an endowed professorship by the Crittenton Foundation ensures a patient-centered education

program and the transformation of nursing as a profession.

To learn more, visit www.crittenton.com.

Better Nurses Start With A Better

Nursing Program

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center and Oakland University’s School of Nursing are committed to the delivery of nursing

excellence. The establishment of an endowed professorship by the Crittenton Foundation ensures a patient-centered education

program and the transformation of nursing as a profession.

To learn more, visit www.crittenton.com.

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School of Nursing

428 O’Dowd Hall2200 North Squirrel RoadRochester, Michigan 48309-4401

22180

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDRochester, MICH

Permit No.17

ADDrESS SErviCE rEQUESTED

For more information about the School of Nursing at Oakland University, visit oakland.edu/nursing, e-mail [email protected] or call (248) 370-4253.

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